Steering device for vehicles.



0. WINKLER.

STEERING DEVICE POR VEHICLES.

APPLIOATION FILED 00118, 1907.

968,303. Patented Aug. 23,v 1910.

Witnesses: Inventor, onto Wimmer,

.UNTTELD sTATss PATENT onirica. j

OTTO WINKLER, OF KPENICK, GERMANY, ASSIGNO '.II'O GENEBAL'ELECTRIC COM- i ,PANY, CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STEERING DEVICE FORl VEHICLES.

i uSpecification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

Application mea october 1s, 1907. serial No. 398,015.

like in which a screw-threaded spindlel causes a nut to travel to and fro, the movement of said nut being communicated through suitable connections to the steering wheels, rudder, or other directive element. In course of time the screw'and the nut become worn, so that there is more or less lost motion between them, which seriously impairs the accuracy of the steering, and dmay give rise to accidents.

The resent invention aims to overcome this di culty by providing a way of taking up the wear. To this end, the nut is made in two sections connected by a suitable adjusting device by means of which said sections can be caused to approach or separate, and thus compensatefor wear.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 l is a longitudinal section of the device, on

thel line 1'-1,'Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. l.

The steering postor spindle 1 is journaled in suitable bearings, preferably in the ends of a casing 2 which incloses the working parts. The spindle carries a worm or screw 8 which meshes 'with a traveling nut by means of which'a rock-arm 4 is actuated. The rock-shaft 5 on which said arm' is mounted,e'xtends through the wall of the casing and carries anoutside arm 6 from which connections 'are led to the steering wheels or other directive element.

The traveling nut is made in two sections 7 and 8, normally separated by a small space 4and each proVidedwith an. eye 9, which slides on a rod 10 arranged parallel with the screw. The two nut-sections 7 8 are rigidly connected by a device which permits them to be relatively displaced. The preferred device for this purpose is a sleeve l1 encircling the adjacent ends of the nutsections and having internal screw-threads meshing with similar threads on one or both of the nut-sections. If both sections are screw-threaded, the threads 12 on the two sections and in the ends .of the sleeve must be right and left-handed, so that a rotation of the sleeve will cause said sections to ap roach or separate.

n order to rotate the sleevewhen the nut-sections need adjustment, said sleeve is providedwit-h external teeth 13 which mesh with teeth 14: formed on the guide-rod 10 andextendin'g practically the entire length of said rod to enable the nut and sleeve to travel lengthwise thereof. The guide-rod thus constltutes a long pinion,.and one of its journals projects through one end of the casing and has a squared portion'l to receive a wrench for rotating it when the nutsections require adjustment.

In accordance with the provisions of the |patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, andl that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,-

1. The combination of a screw, a nut engaging the screw which is made in sections, there being a space between the adjacent ends of the sections, a steering arm connected to one of said sections, threaded means engaging and connecting said adjacent ends, and a device for rotating said means to adjust the sections toward and from each other.

2. The combination with a screw, of a nut made in sections, there being a space between 'the adjacent ends of the sections, means for rigidly connecting said sections, and a device for actuating the means to adjust said sections toward'and away from each other.

V3. The combination with a screw, of a nut made in sections, a sleeve enga ing said sections, and means for rotating t e sleeve to adjust said sections lengthwise therein.

4. The combination with a screw, of a nut engagin vthe screw which is made-in sections and'is provided with external screwthreads, a. right and left-hand screw-threaded sleeve engaging with said external, screwthreads, and means for'rotating the sleeve to adjust the sections relatively to each other.

5. The combination with a screw, of a nut engaging the screw which is made in seetiene and provided with externei screwthreads, there being e space betty een the adjacent ends et the sections, e. right and leftded seeve engaging with mi and a guide-reti for i the si @en with e. screw, ef e e ions and having external sleeve' having internal neshing Wien these on the teruel teeth en' seid sleeve, @le guide-rod for seid nut-secteeth meshing with these en et the nut seresY tt screw thA nut seetiei and e row@ tiene having s eve, e eeniinetien with a she't anni a. e nut engaging the screw twe sectionsj there being Ween the adjacent ends of the n oppesitely inclined externai en seid sections, e seeve heveeeee ing internal screw-threads engaging with the external threads on the nut sections, there being external gear teeth on the sleeve, a easing incle'sing the nut and screw which is provided with hearings for the shaft, and a guidered rotatably mo'untedin the .easing which engagea the nut sectiens to prevent their rotation with the screw and is provided with teeth meshing with the teeth on the sleeve, one end ef the rod. prejeeting through the Wall of the casing to permit F1t t0 be rotated from the outside thereof to adjust the nut sections Without taking the apperetns apart.

in Witness whereof, have hereunto set my hand this fifth dey of Catcher, 1903".

GTT@ WINKLEE 'Vitnesses:

JUMUS RUMLAND, KARL RIUKEBEN. 

